Unknown
(French, Limoges)
Pair of Heraldic Enamels
13th century
champlevé enamel and gilding on copper
1.63 in diameter, each
4.13 cm
Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund
87.80.1-2
Displaying an enameled emblem or crest of the rampant lion surrounded by intertwining dragons, these copper roundels reflect the nobility’s practice of promoting bloodline and marriage through heraldry. They also reveal the close relationship between the art of the goldsmith and the enameller during the Middle Ages. These pieces probably would have decorated a large casket made of leather or copper as a celebration of the family’s name.
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